EDC 102H F11 Context Reports Community Data Worksheet - Kids Count Data
Community: Portsmouth, RI
Zip Code: 02871
Authors: Kelsey Lydon and Matthew Repetto
Use the data tables below to accumulate data from reliable sources about a particular geographical region of Rhode Island. After you have assembled this information, turn it into knowledge by synthesizing a series of sensible paragraphs
Under Rhode Island Kids Count Data by City/Town, click on Fact Sheets
Select your community
Use other sections to collect additional data as needed
Portsmouth
Rhode Island
Child population
4,329
247,882
Children in single-parent families
16%
30%
Children living in families below the federal poverty threshold
2.8%
16.9%
Teens not in school and not working
1.6%
7.3%
Households with grandparents financially responsible for grandchildren
3%
4%
Median household income
$58,835
$42,090
According to this data from KidsCount in 2000, the town of Portsmouth makes up a small portion of the child population in Rhode Island. JF Compared with other towns such as Newport, this is a relatively miniscule fraction. This suggests that the community of Portsmouth is much smaller and most likely has more resources available to its younger inhabitants. Less students means smaller classes and, as a result, a more individualized learning experience. As compared with the rest of Rhode Island, the percentage of children living in single-parent households is nearly cut in half (16% compared to 30%). A significantly smaller portion of single-parent households suggests most students have less of a struggle at home. Two parents usually indicates a larger income and more personal support for their children, whether in school or other areas of life. The large portion of students with two parents per household probably affects the low percentage of families living below the poverty threshold as well. In Portsmouth, 2.8% of children live in poverty, compared to a huge 16.9% of children in the rest of Rhode Island. For the average family in Portsmouth, a yearly income is about $58,835. The rest of Rhode Island has a medium income of around $42,090. The increased household income certainly makes for a less troubled lifestyle in Portsmouth because students are, for the most part, better provided for in their homes. Also, the percentage of teens not working and not attending school in Portsmouth is miniscule, rounding out to about 1.6% of teens. The rest of Rhode Island is nearly seven times that at 7.3%. More teens are being educated or working to provide for themselves, decreasing poverty and promoting a more educated community. The percentage of grandparents raising their grandchildren is about the same as the rest of RI (3% and 4%), but the fact that the median income is higher and the poverty threshold is significantly lower suggests that this does not greatly affect students as much as in the rest of RI.
D. Economic Well-Being Indicators
Year data collected: 2010
Portsmouth
Rhode Island
Food Stamp Program participation
277
59,652
School Breakfast Program participation
13%
23%
Cost of Rent
$1,441
$1,165
Children in families receiving cash assistance
1%
4%
WIC participation
61%
72%
Births to mothers with less than a high school diploma (2005-2009)
2%
16%
Infants born at highest risk
1%
4%
JFThe percentage of children participating in the food stamps program in Portsmouth is strikingly different than that of the children in the rest of RI. In Portsmouth, the percentage comes out to about 6%, while a quarter of the population of children in RI are on food stamps. The amount of students participating in the School Breakfast Program is much smaller than the rest of the state as well (13% compared to 23%). The cost of rent is about $300 more than the rest of the state, and the percentage of families receiving cash assistance is nearly 3% lower. These lower numbers can be attributed to the higher household income and fewer students not attending school. The majority of Portsmouth children visibly have much more stable economic conditions which attributes to their well-being. For example, less children in Portsmouth are born to teenage mothers who have not graduated high school. This is significant because it means less children are born to mothers without partners or unstable financial situations. Thus, less children (only 1%) are born in high risk environments. Getting this head start in life affects children for the rest of their lives. It is a proven fact that children with better opportunities in the early stages of life are able to get ahead and advance past their peers who were not as fortunate at the start of life.
E. Health Indicators
Year data collected: 2010, 2005-2009
Portsmouth
Rhode Island
Number of children under 19 receiving medical assistance
619
92,701
Women with delayed prenatal care
9.5%
14.9%
Infants born with low birth weight
5.8%
8.0%
Asthma hospitalization rate (per 1,000 under 18)
2.8
4.2
Teen birth rate (per 1,000 girls 15-19)
7.4
30.1
Newborn infants exclusively breastfed
79%
58%
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
4.0
6.3
Overall, the health of Portsmouth children is significantly better than those in the rest of the state. The number of children under 19 who receive medical assistance in Rhode Island is nearly half of the population, while the number of Portsmouth children barely even reaches 1,000. Children in Portsmouth have more financially stable households, and thus need less assitance from the government. They are able to afford private medical insurance and thus receive better, more specialized care and the ability to choose their own practitioners. Only 5.8% oc children are born with low birth weights and only 9.5% of women receive delayed prenatal care, compared to 8% and 14.9%. The higher ability to afford private personal healthcare seems to have directly affected the pre- and postnatal care of children in Portsmouth. The major financial gap in the remainder of the state seems to have caused an even greater gap in the health of young children. Also, more infants are breastfed (79% compared to 58%) which has been proven to have the most nutritional benefits for newborns. Better healthcare promotes this nutritional choice, introducing a better nourished generation of children. Better health goes hand in hand with clearer thinking and a better ability to learn. Less children are hospitalized because of asthma, which is one of the top causes of the hospitalization of children in the United States, indicating the better health of Portsmouth children. The mortality rate of infants supports this because they are significantly less than the rest of Rhode Island. Better pre- and postnatal healthcare significantly decreases these numbers, again relating back to the capability of more Portsmouth families being able to afford healthcare. The teen birth rate is a quarter of what the rest of the state is, again suggesting a higher availability of birth control practices and more stable home lives.
F. Safety Indicators
Year data collected: 2006-2010
Community
Rhode Island
Child abuse and neglect rate per 1,000 children (2008)
1.6
10.7
Neglect Rate cont. (2009)
7.2
11.7
Neglect Rate (2010)
4.6
13.3
Domestic Violence (%) (2006)
8
20
DV (2007)
25
25
DV (2008)
30
29
DV (2009)
22
31
DV (2010)
23
29
Rate of children with incarcerated parents per 1,000 children (2006)
2.1
11.3
Incarceration cont. (2010)
0.9
10.4
The community of Portsmouth, RI as a whole seems to see a lot less child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence compared to the whole state of Rhode Island. So it seems that Portsmouth is a relatively safe place to grow up. Unfortunately, the neglect rate seems to be rising in the community and in all of Rhode Island because according to the table, the neglect rate in 2008 was 1.6 children per 1000 compared to 4.6 per 1000 in 2010. In Rhode Island, the neglect rate was 10.7 per 1000 children in 2008 and rose to 13.3 per 1000 children. Domestic violence has also seen a huge increase from 2006 to 2010. In Portsmouth, a small 8% of the population reported domestic violence and by 2010, 23% did. In 2006, Rhode Island had a rate of 20% and in 2010 the rate jumped to 29%. Interestingly, the rate of children with incarcerated parents per 1000 children in Rhode Island and the community decreased slightly. Portsmouth saw 2.1 per 1000 children with incarcerated parents in 2006 while the state had 11.3 per 1000 children. In 2010, Portsmouth dropped to 0.9 per 1000 children and Rhode Island dropped to 10.4 per 1000. Maybe the state is being too lenient on its criminals.
G. Education Indicators
Year data collected: 2006-2010
Community
Rhode Island
Early intervention participation (avg. between 2006- 2010 for kids under age 3)
8.4%
9.6%
Students in Special Ed (2009 and 2010)
17%
17%
8th graders above Math proficiency (2006)
76%
47%
8th graders above Reading proficiency (2006)
78%
58%
8th graders above Math proficiency (2010)
84%
54%
8th graders above Reading proficiency (2010)
90%
74%
High School attendance rates (2006)
95%
90%
High School graduation rates (2007)
88%
70%
High School attendance rates (2010)
95%
91%
High School graduation rates (2010)
85%
76%
Early intervention is when young students are recognized as having handicaps that may lead to disabilities in the future. The average participation in Portsmouth from 2006 to 2010 was 8.4% and 9.6% in the state. Students who are in special education classes has had relatively stable rates in both the community and the state with 17% for both in 2009 and 2010. A positive trend in the state and community is the Reading and Math Proficiency levels. Starting in 2006, Math and Reading proficiency in Portsmouth was 76% and 78% respectively and 47% and 58% for the state. Just by 2010, the levels in Portsmouth jumped to 84% and 90% while the state's levels increased to 54% and 74%. Luckily, high school attendance and graduation rates seem to be a consistent and high rate. In 2006, the attendance rates for Portsmouth and Rhode Island were 95% and 90% respectively. In 2010, the same rates for community and state were 95% and 91% showing some good stability. Graduation rates in 2007 were 88% for Portsmouth and 70% for Rhode Island and in 2010 Portsmouth saw and 85% graduation rate compared to 76% in the state.
Family and Community
Year data collected: 1990 vs. 2000
Community
Rhode Island
Child population (1990)
4,175
225,690
Child population (2000)
4,329
247,822
Children in single parent families (1990)
8%
22%
Children in single-parent families (2000)
16%
30%
Median household income (1990)
$55,414
$41,985
Median household income (2000)
$58,835
$42,090
Children living in households under the federal poverty threshold (1990)
4.4%
13.5%
Children living in households under the federal poverty threshold (2000)
2.8%
16.9%
% of teens not in school and not working (2000)
1.6
7.3
The overall child population in Portsmouth and Rhode Island has seen a small but noticeable increase from 1990 to 2000. In 1990, the child population in Portsmouth was 4,175 kids and by 2000 there were 4,329. The whole state saw an increase from 225,690 to 247,882 in that decade also. The community and state also saw a negative increase in single-parent households in the decade also. In Portsmouth, 8% of the population had single parent homes in 1990 which then doubled by 2000. In the whole state, the same rate was 22% in 1990 and then increased to 30% by 2000. Fortunately for Portsmouth, the median household income saw an increase and children living under the federal poverty threshold decreased in the decade. In 1990, the median income was $55,414 and by 2000, it was $58,835 while the poverty problem dropped from 4.4% to 2.8%. For the rest of the state unfortunately, both these levels saw a smaller increase in both. The median in 1990 for Rhode Island was $41,985 and in 2000 it was only $42,090 while the poverty rate jumped from 13.5% to 16.9%. Another odd statistic is the percentage of teens that are not in school and do not have a job. In 2000, the community had just 1.6% of the teen population compared to the whole state of Rhode Island seeing 7.3% of the teen population out of school and work.
H. Geographical Location
Portsmouth, RI is a rather developed community. Within its boundaries, there are several fitness centers, day spas, and supermarkets/pharmacies. Near it's center, there is also a free public library as well as a nursery school. It is bordered by several high-ways (including Route 24 and High-Way 114) and an outlet of Buzzard's Bay. It's land is relatively flat, and it is isolated on an island with Newport, Newport East, and Middletown. This secluded island is connected to the mainland by several bridges. Within a close distance is Newport State Airport, suggesting that the area sees an influx of traffic.
II. Narrative Description of Community
Use the data you collected above to develop a series of paragraphs that describe your community (zip code) and draw comparisons with the rest of the state and / or district. Here is an example of how to do this.
Need assistance? Contact Mona Anne Niedbala, Education & Curriculum Materials Librarian, at 401-874-9433, or email at mflorea@mail.uri.edu.
Community Data Worksheet - Kids Count Data
Community: Portsmouth, RI
Zip Code: 02871
Authors: Kelsey Lydon and Matthew Repetto
Use the data tables below to accumulate data from reliable sources about a particular geographical region of Rhode Island. After you have assembled this information, turn it into knowledge by synthesizing a series of sensible paragraphs
C. Data from Kids Count
Year data collected: 2000
D. Economic Well-Being Indicators
Year data collected: 2010JFThe percentage of children participating in the food stamps program in Portsmouth is strikingly different than that of the children in the rest of RI. In Portsmouth, the percentage comes out to about 6%, while a quarter of the population of children in RI are on food stamps. The amount of students participating in the School Breakfast Program is much smaller than the rest of the state as well (13% compared to 23%). The cost of rent is about $300 more than the rest of the state, and the percentage of families receiving cash assistance is nearly 3% lower. These lower numbers can be attributed to the higher household income and fewer students not attending school. The majority of Portsmouth children visibly have much more stable economic conditions which attributes to their well-being. For example, less children in Portsmouth are born to teenage mothers who have not graduated high school. This is significant because it means less children are born to mothers without partners or unstable financial situations. Thus, less children (only 1%) are born in high risk environments. Getting this head start in life affects children for the rest of their lives. It is a proven fact that children with better opportunities in the early stages of life are able to get ahead and advance past their peers who were not as fortunate at the start of life.
E. Health Indicators
Year data collected: 2010, 2005-2009
F. Safety Indicators
Year data collected: 2006-2010
G. Education Indicators
Year data collected: 2006-2010
Family and Community
Year data collected: 1990 vs. 2000
H. Geographical Location
Portsmouth, RI is a rather developed community. Within its boundaries, there are several fitness centers, day spas, and supermarkets/pharmacies. Near it's center, there is also a free public library as well as a nursery school. It is bordered by several high-ways (including Route 24 and High-Way 114) and an outlet of Buzzard's Bay. It's land is relatively flat, and it is isolated on an island with Newport, Newport East, and Middletown. This secluded island is connected to the mainland by several bridges. Within a close distance is Newport State Airport, suggesting that the area sees an influx of traffic.
II. Narrative Description of Community
Use the data you collected above to develop a series of paragraphs that describe your community (zip code) and draw comparisons with the rest of the state and / or district. Here is an example of how to do this.Need assistance? Contact Mona Anne Niedbala, Education & Curriculum Materials Librarian, at 401-874-9433, or email at mflorea@mail.uri.edu.